


Heart of Stone

by darkling59



Series: Annals of the Incomplete [33]
Category: Slayers (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Drabble, Drabble Collection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-16
Updated: 2015-03-16
Packaged: 2018-03-18 00:57:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3550127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkling59/pseuds/darkling59
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A drabble collection centered around our favorite chimera.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Heart of Stone

**Heart**

The chimera guards his heart like it’s a cherished possession, though he’ll deny its existence if called on it. In truth, he’s too jaded and paranoid to allow it to open very often. After all, the last person he loved unconditionally was his grandfather, and that ended far beyond tears in blood and turmoil.

But despite his best efforts, the lock keeping his heart safe is slowly being eroded by those who call themselves his friends. Soon, he’ll be referring to them in kind.

* * *

 

**Stone**

“Made of stone” they say: “Monster”, “Demon”, “Golem”. He’s even taken to referring to himself by those terms, willfully hiding behind the mask that has been built for him. However, despite how impenetrable he makes himself look and sound, he can still be hurt. If cut, he will bleed. If happy, he will smile. If sad, he will…well, not cry. Frown, probably.

No one seems to understand that having skin made of stone does not necessarily mean his heart and soul have changed.

Not even himself.

* * *

 

**Million**

Zelgadis lay on his back, staring up at the cloudy sky. It was a beautiful spring day and for once he was just taking it easy. Normally he would be searching for a cure but he had no new leads and was not looking forward to trying his luck at the library in the next city. Nine times out of the ten he got chased off by the guards and had to sneak back in after closing. He was becoming a pro; now he only got caught maybe one out of ten times. Either he was getting better at being sneaky, or more patient in his searching.

He’d been fully intending to try it but then he’d seen the meadow. It was resplendent in wildflowers and new growth, with rabbits and birds hopping around the edges. His first thought had been that Amelia would love to see it. His second was to wonder why he had thought that. His third was to stick around because Amelia would no doubt ask what he’d done if he mentioned it the next time they met, and she would be upset with him if he admitted to ignoring it.

Watching one of the bunnies curiously investigate his stone fingers, he couldn’t bring himself to feel annoyed at the delay.

* * *

 

**Dig**

“Well maybe if we’re really quiet, it won’t notice us…”

The whisper wasn’t nearly low enough to bypass the chimera’s notice. He paused but quickly decided that, whatever was going on, it wasn’t his business. He attacked the collapsed wall with gusto, using a makeshift log-shovel to dig into the cavernous ruins. There could be a copy of the Clair Bible within and there was no way he was going to let a simple landslide get in the way of his cure.

He paused about a half hour later, panting, to survey his progress. It was depressingly little, but he could see a dent in the debris. Maybe that would be a good spot to dig next?

“It’s stopped!”

His ears twitched. The ‘whispers’ were back.

“Shhh!”

“But what if it heard us!”

“Shut up!”

Zelgadis grit his teeth as he realized the unseen duo was talking about him.

“You have ten seconds to run.” His voice was low and angry but carried clearly. “One. Two…”

He resumed digging to the sound of muffled yelps and rattling gravel as his watchers ran away as fast as they could.

* * *

 

**Wish**

For the longest time, Zelgadis’ one wish in life was to become human again. To look at his hands and watch the delicate tracery of veins, to feel smooth skin rather than rough stone, and to just be able to feel the world like he once had.

When he heard of a djinni that could grant wishes, and would for a specific price he thought he’d finally, finally, found a cure. The djinni lived far beyond the inland sea and the mountain ranges on both sides. It took a long time and, of course, a great deal of effort, but Zelgadis made it to creature’s lair and set forth his plea. It watched and listened with unsettling dead black eyes then grinned and set forth its price.

To the chimera’s surprise, it was merely a look at his memories of the past and his hopes for the future.

He never should have let It into his head.

It saw his past, then leapt into the future, ravaging his mind before leaving him with visions of his friends lying dead at his feet because he no longer had the strength to protect them. He saw himself skulking in the shadows once again, and mistrusted as a vagrant and wanderer if not a chimera.

In short, everything got worse.

When he stopped railing against the impossibility of the visions, the djinni finally let him out and asked once again if a cure was Zel’s wish.

His answer changed everything, forever.

* * *

 

**Read**

As a child, Zelgadis hated books. He knew his friends would be surprised if they knew; they thought of him as literate and more inclined to spending time in libraries and digging through dusty tomes than socializing or gallivanting around outdoors. Admittedly, the past several years had introduced him to more books than he had EVER wanted to see, enough to make him grow accustomed to and even enjoy some of them, but his first passion had always been sword-fighting.

Rezo had ruined that for him.

As a human, he’d enjoyed running through the woods and play fighting. Learning how to be strong became his catchphrase and he stuck to it through thick and thin, dedicated to the idea of becoming a noble warrior, protecting the weak with his great strength.

Now, he couldn’t practice swordsmanship without hearing Rezo’s cursed staff ringing in the distance, and the sword he now wielded felt nothing like the one he used in his childhood. His hands were too different for the two feelings to even be comparable.

* * *

 

**Blind**

Rule #39: if someone has their eyes closed, they are insanely strong and will most likely try to kill you.

It might be a bit hypocritical for Zelgadis to be so averse to a physical ailment, considering how he gripes about his own mistreatment due to such prejudice but evidence doesn’t lie.

First there was Rezo. Fairly self explanatory: turned Zelgadis into a monster, enslaved him, then resurrected Shabranigdo and tried to take over the world. Strike one.

Then there was Kopi Rezo, just as insane as the original but without the excuse of a demon in his eyes. In fact, he managed to kill more people and destroy more property, solely because he chose to fight in the center of a (previously) densely populated city. Strike two.

Now, at this point, Zelgadis was wary of Rezo and wholly unable to believe he would never return to cause chaos.

Next time, it was Xellos. The demon sidled his way into their little group by occasionally pretending to be useful and simply refusing to leave them alone. Eventually, they grew accustomed to and even enjoyed his presence. Then he received different orders and betrayed them, revealing his true nature in the process. Strike three.

No, Zel would never trust a blind man ever again.


End file.
